Hypertension, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome represent a significant and growing global health issue and, to some extent, may have common underlying physiological causes. Current therapies for these various conditions typically include non-pharmacological, pharmacological and device-based approaches. Despite this variety of treatment options, the rates of control of blood pressure and the therapeutic efforts to prevent progression of these disease states and their sequelae remain unsatisfactory. Although the reasons for this situation are manifold and include issues of non-compliance with prescribed therapy, heterogeneity in responses both in terms of efficacy and adverse event profile, and others, it is evident that alternative options are required to supplement the current therapeutic treatment regimes for these conditions
Reduction of sympathetic renal nerve activity (e.g., via neuromodulation, including ablation, of at least a portion of sympathetic renal nerves supplying at least one kidney), can reverse these processes. It may, therefore, be desirable to develop a technology that can achieve renal neuromodulation in a clinically safe and therapeutically effective manner.